Weft thread selecting device for weaving machines with a fixed weft supply

ABSTRACT

A SERIES OF WEFT THREAD PRESENTING ELEMENTS ARE ARRANGED IN A PENDULAR SUPPLY MEANS FOR RECTILINEAR MOVEMENT ON RESPECTIVE DOWNWARDS DIVERGENT PATHS. THE SAID SUPPLY MEANS BEING HINGED TO AN ANNULAR SUPPORT CONNECTED TO A HOUSING ADAPTED TO BE MOUNTED ON A WEAVING MACHINE WITH A FIXED WEFT SUPPLY ADJACENT ONE SIDE OF THE WAYS AND CONTAINING MECHANICAL MEANS, GOVERNED BY A SINGLE CONTROL MEANS, FOR TILTING THE PENDULAR SUPPLY MEANS TO A POSITION IN WHICH ONE OF THE PRESENTING ELEMENTS IS IN A VERTICAL POSITION AND FOR OPERATING THIS SELECTED ELEMENT.

United States Patent Inventor Antonio Camarasa Monge Calle General Mola 36, Madrid, Spain Appl. No. 845,340 Filed July 28, 1969 Patented June 28, 1971 Priority July 31, 1968 Spain 356,720

WEFT THREAD SELECTING DEVICE FOR WEAVING MACHINES WITH A FIXED WEI-T SUPPLY 6 Claims, 10 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl 139/122 Int. Cl. D03d 47/34 Field of Search 66/125; 139/1 22 1 27 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,249,127 5/1966 Payne 139/122 3,299,909 1/1967 Golobart 139/122 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,480,838 4/1967 France 139/122 Primary Examiner-Henry S. .laudon Att0rney-Christen & Sabol ABSTRACT: A series of weft thread presenting elements are arranged in a pendular supply means for rectilinear movement on respective downwards divergent paths. the said supply means being hinged to an angular support connected to a housing adapted to be mounted on a weaving machine with a fixed weft supply adjacent one side of the ways and containing mechanical means, governed by a single control means, for tilting the pendular supply means to a position in which one of the presenting elements is in a vertical position and for operating this selected element.

device for weaving machines with a fixed weft supply, in which a the selected weft threads are guided to a position adjacent one edge of the warp in the shedding area of the weaving machine and presented to a weft-inserting element movable between said one edge of the warp and the other edge thereof.

Various systems of weft thread selectors are known which are suitable for looms with a fixed weft reserve, including those which consist of an aligned succession of weft thread presenting elements, in an assembly situated outside of the weaving machine in the same path as that utilized by the inserting element and close to the selvedge of the fabric. These devices make it necessary for the inserting element to perform a maitimum travel in order to allow for the case where the weft thread selected is that situated most remotely from the said selector in relation to the selvedge of the fabric, which has the drawback of not only requiring an unnecessary travel of the inserting element with the result of waste of time, but that the point at which the weft thread is taken up is in any case never the same, which gives rise to different gripping actions and consequently deficiencies therein.

In order to remedy this drawback, in the majority of cases an independent thread-presenting element is provided which carries the thread selected to a point of presentation, the said presenting element being operated by an independent mechanism synchronized on the one hand with t e movement of the inserting element and on the other with the weft thread selector mechanism, all of which complicates the mechanisms as a whole. A

Other known systems of weft thread selectors are those which consist of a block carrying weft thread presenting elements, so that the position of selection of each of them is the same, in other words they converge at one and the same point of presentation. These systems have the drawback that the ends of the presenting elements are fitted with thread guides which do not retain the weft thread, the said thread instead remaining linked to thefabric, necessitating additional gripping operations, one for each thread,'by tongs situated close to the selvedge, which mean that the length of weft thread selected must be cut at the right time before insertion of the weft thread is commenced, which gives rise to errors in cutting.

Also known are selector devices which perform horizontal movements so that the selected thread is always presented. at the same point. These selectors have the drawback of requiring guides which give rise to needless friction and mechanical complications and of requiring a drive for displacement of the carriage carrying the presenting elements, together with an independent drive so that the element selected can be presented.

The weft thread selecting device according to the present invention entirely resolves all the above-mentioned disadvantages, requiring no needless travel of the inserting element nor the application of additional elements to present the selected weft thread at one and the same point.

At the same time, the said weft thread selecting device is able to select a greater number of weft threads than the systems mentioned, by virtue of the particular arrangement of the presenting elements, which have at their free ends tongs for gripping the weft threads, so that the weft threads must not remain joined to the fabric nor are there necessary independent additional tongs close to the selvedge of the fabric.

With the thread-selecting device which is the object of the present invention, it is possible perfectly to synchronize the movements of selection and presentation of the weft thread at one and the same point, since all the movements start from a single control, the whole of the said device being of considerable simplicity, no special adjustments or combinations being required in connection with the previous pass, due to the existence of one control for each presenting element, which makes it possible to achieve all kinds of combinations of selection, the component elements of the device being capable of correct location should any of the weft threads break.

The thread-selecting'device according to the present invention consists of a housing inside which there is a series of flat bars connected at one end and by means of articulated mechanical elements to respective rods which receive the command of a selecting member outside the housing, and articulated at their other end on a common hinge pin which passes through a fork rigid with a rod which, passing through the wall of the housing, is connected to a pendular supply means outside the housing, carrying weft thread presenting elements and supported by an angular support integral with the said wall and likewise having passing through it the aforesaid rod and, furthermore, the said housing comprising a pair of arms for centering respective'angled levers operated symmetrically'by a cam secured to a rotary shaft which passes through the housing and carries, disposed on the outside of this latter, a second cam which operates an arm which controls the presenting element selected.

For better understanding of the invention, a nonrestrictive exemplary embodiment is described hereinafter, reference being made to the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. I is a front view of the thread-selecting device which is the object of the present invention, the drawing not showing the front cover of the housing, in order that the mechanism for situating the presenting element selected may be the more clearly illustrated;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of FIG. 1 and includes the front cover and external presenting mechanism;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to that in FIG. 1, in the position of selection of one of the flat bars;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 and in which the selected flat bar has been moved horizontally in order to locate the corresponding weft thread presenting element at the point of presentation, this drawing not showing the other flat bars and elements connected thereto, for greater clarity of illustration;

FIG. 5 is a front view of the outside of the device showing -the presentation elements as they are when in the position shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 in the position of presentation of the presenting element selected;

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic front view of a weaving machine on which is fitted the selecting device which is the object of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a partial view on an enlarged scale showing the attachment of the thread selecting device according to FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary sectional view of one of the selected presenting elements;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary plan view, partially in section, of the mechanism for situating the presenting element selected in FIGS. 1 to 4.

In these drawings, reference numeral 1 denotes the housing with, projecting from it, the rods 2, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d and 2e connected to the dobby 3 for the selection of weft threads 4, FIG. 8. Each rod 2, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d 22 carries at the bottom a fork 5, 5a,5b, 5c, 5d, 52 and is enclosed, between its corresponding .forks 5, 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d and 5e and the upper face 6 of the housing 1 by an opposing helical spring 7, of which only one is visible in FIG. 1 and 7d in FIGS. 3 and 4, these springs tending to maintain the said rods 2, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d and 2e always in the down position.

Each fork, 5, 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d and Se is hinged at 8, only one connecting point being visible in FIG. I and 8d in FIGS. 3 and 4, on a small lever 9, 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d and 9e adapted to pivot.

about a common axis 10 secured to the housing 1, the other ends of the said levers 9, 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d and 92 being hinged on tie members 11, 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d and lle, and each of these in turn, at its other end, is connected to flat bars 12, 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d and 12e which have bottom rectangular projections 13, 13a, 13b, 13c, 13d and Be. The other ends of the said flat bars I2, 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d, 12e are connected to a common hinge pin 14 of a fork 15. This fork 15 is rigid with a rod 16 which passes through the wall 30 of the housing 1 and is provided with a groove 17 to house a pivot 18 rigid with a pendular supply means 19 which supports the weft thread presenting elements 20, 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d and 20e. Each of the said presenting elements 20, a, 20b, 20c, 20d and 202 is provided with two aligned pins 21 and 22, 21a and 22a, 21b and 22b, 21c and 22c, 21d and 22d, 2le and 222 respectively, the upper pins 21, 21a, 21b, 21c, 21d, 2le sliding along slides 23, 23a, 23b, 23c, 23d and 23e in the front wall 24 of the supply means 19, and the lower pins 22, 22a, 22b, 22c, 22d and 222 sliding in slides 25, 25a, 25b, 25c, 25d and 25e also in the front wall of the supply means 19. This supply means 19 is hinged and supported in its upper part 26 on a shaft 27 secured to an angular support 28 connected to the housing 1, and the rod 16 passes through both the part 29 of the support 28 and the wall 30 of the said housing 1.

From the wall 30 of the housing 1 and underneath the support 28 project two plates 31 and 32, between which the supply means 19 reciprocates, the front plate 31 being traversed by a T-shaped slide with the upper portion 33 arcuate, with its center on the shaft 27, so that the pins 21, 21a, 21b, 21c, 21d and 2le can slide in a curvilinear path along the said slide 33, the T-shaped slide also having a vertical portion 34 allowing a downwards movement of the corresponding pins 21, 21a, 21b, 21c, 21d and 21e of the presenting element 20, 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d and 202 selected.

The housing 1 is traversed transversely by a movable shaft 35 which is connected through a chain drive comprising a sprocket wheel 69, a chain 70 and a second sprocket wheel 71, to a rotating shaft 72 (FIGS. 7 and 8) of the weaving machine and on which is mounted to a cam 36 which causes vertical displacement of a freely rotating roller 37 situated between the forked arms 38 and 39 of two angled levers 40 and 41, and connected thereto with lateral clearance through the respective axle 37' (.FIG. 10). Each of the levers 40 and 41 oscillates on a shaft 42 and 43 secured to the housing 1 and parallel with the moving shaft 35. On the arm 44 of the angled lever 41 is engaged the end 45 of a traction spring 46, the other end 47 of which engages at a fixed point 48 on the wall 30 of the housing 1. The upper ends 49 and 50 of the arms 44' and 44, which will henceforth be referred to as centering arms, have cylindrical rods 49' and 50 projecting perpendicularly on both sides of the centering arms 44' and 44 of the angled levers 40 and 41.

Externally of the housing 1, FIGS. 2, 5 and 6, is secured on the said moving shaft 35 a cam 51 which is in contact with a rotating roller 52 arranged at the end 53 of a lever 54 hinged at a point 55 on the housing 1, the other end 56 of which carries a rod 56' projecting perpendicularly towards the housing 1, FIG. 8, provided with an arcuate groove 60 at its free end, coincident with the slide 33 for housing of the corresponding pin 21, 21a, 21b, 21c, 21d and 21e of the weft presenting element 20, 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d and 20e selected. The contact of the roller 52 with the cam 51 is ensured by the action of a spring 62, which, in the embodiment illustrated is a compression spring, the end 61 of which engages in the orifice in the lever 54 while its end 63 engages at a stationary point 64 rigid with the housing 1. Projecting perpendicularly from the said housing 1 are two stops 57 and 58 which limit the oscillating movement of the lever 54, 56. Reference numerals 59, 59a, 59b, 59c, 59d and 59e designate the cables which make the connection between the rods 2, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, and 2e with the dobby 3. 66, 66a, 66b, 66c, 66d and 662 are the tongs or grippers of the weft-presenting elements 20, 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d and 20e. One of these presenting elements, 20d, is shown in detail in FIG. 9. As can be seen, the upper end of the presenting element 20d is rigidly connected to the pin 21d, while its lower end is bent in a right angle and constitutes one of the jaws 66d, of the tong or gripper 66d. The other jaw, 66"d, is rigidly connected to the pin 22d and guided for vertical movement in a bore of the lower edge portion 24 of the front wall 24 bent in a right angle. Between the pins 21d and 22d there is arranged a helical compression spring 68d which tends to maintain the jaw 66"d applied against the jaw 66'd. 67 is the weft-inserting element and 73 is a conventional stationary thread guide.

The apparatus functions in the following manner:

From a position of rest, FIG. 1, in which the presenting element 20 has presented its thread, the dobby 3, FIG. 7, carries out a new selection which, for example via the cable 59d, transmits a vertical ascending movement to the rod 2d, FIG. 3, which operates the small lever 9d which imparts a downwards movement to the tie member 11d and consequently to the flat bar 12d, the rectangular projection 13d of which assumes a position in the alignment of the cylindrical ends 49 and 50' of the centering arms 44' and 44 of the angled levers 40 and 41.

Meanwhile, the shaft 35 has rotated and consequently the periphery of the cam 36 compels the roller 37 to descend vertically, causing the angled levers 40 and 41 to oscillate at the same time and symmetrically, also symmetrically bringing towards each other the ends 49' and 40' of the centering arms 44 and 44' until the cylindrical end 50 encounters the rectangular projection 13d, displacing it until it is centered in the vertical alignment of the geometric center of the shaft 35, FIG. 4, and thus remaining positioned between the two cylindrical ends 49' and 50 of the centering arms 44' and 44.

The said displacement of the flat bar 12d has given rise to a horizontal displacement of the fork 15, the rod 16 of which, through the intermediary of its notch 17 and the pivot 18 of the suspended supply means 19, has caused the said supply means 19 to be tilted towards the housing 1, positioning the presenting element 20d in a vertical alignment with the geometric center of the oscillating shaft 27, that is to say in the position of presentation, FIG. 4. In this position, the top pin 21d of the presenting element 20d has become inserted in the groove 60, FIG. 8, of the end 56 of the lever 54.

As the cam 36 rotates, the outer cam 51, FIG. 5, also rotates and, by virtue of the synchronization between them and as the shaft 35 continues to rotate, the periphery of the cam 51 and the spring 62 compels the roller 52 to ascend, tilting the lever 54 and causing the end 56 thereof, FIGS. 6, 8 and 9, to descend, this latter at the same time pushing the pivot 21d and with it the presenting element 20d. The pin 22d follows this descending movement under the action of spring 68d and when it comes in contact with the bottom part of the slide 25d and as the lever 56 continues to descend until the pin 21d strikes the bottom pins 66' d and 66"d of the gripper or tongs 66d of the said presenting element 20d open, FIG. 9 releasing the weft thread 4d, which previously has been gripped by the inserting element 67.

The said position of presentation of the element 20d is also reflected in FIG. 8, in which the presenting element 20d has brought down the corresponding weft thread 4d which, therefore, follows the inclined path shown in FIG. 8 between the stationary thread guide 73 and the gripper 66d. In this position, the weft thread 4d maybe subsequently gripped by the inserting element 67 and introduced into the shed for formation of the fabric, the cycle of operations necessary to a fresh selection of the weft thread following thereon.

I claim:

1. In a weft thread selecting device for weaving machines of the type having weft-inserting means movable through the shed across the war threads, a plurality of fixed weft supplies to be selectively presented to the weft-inserting means, means to select weft threads to be presented, and a rotating element driven in synchronism with said weft-inserting means, the combination including a pendular supply means comprising a plurality of weft-presenting means movable with respect to the pendular supply means between a retracted position and an extended position to present a weft thread, means to mount said pendular supply means on a weaving machine for movement between a plurality of supply positions to arrange a selected one of said weft-presenting means for presenting a weft thread in said extended position to the weft-inserting means at one side of the warp threads, a plurality of elongated bar means connected at their one ends to said pendular supply means for selective shifting between an inactive and a active position, lever means including rod means connected between said means to select weft threads and each of the respective other ends of said bar means forselectively shifting the bar means between said active and inactive positions, centering arm means including first cam means connected with said rotating element of a weaving machine for moving the arm means between open and closed positions, means for engagement between each of said bar means and said centering arm means when a bar means is in said active position to move the pendular supply means to a selected one of said plurality of supply positions in response to movement of the centering arm means to said closed position, and second cam means connected with said rotating element of the weaving machine to move the selected one of tl'e weft-presenting means to said extended position to present the selected weft thread to the weftinserting means at one side of the warp threads.

2. In a weft thread selecting device as defined in claim 1, wherein said lever means includes a'plurality of oscillating levers mounted on a common shaft, one end of each said oscillating lever being connected to a tie rod, the other ends of the oscillating levers being connected with respective vertically disposed rods, and spring means for each of said rods to urge said bar means to their inactive positions.

3. In a weft thread selecting device as defined in claim 1, wherein said elongated bar means includes a plurality of bars pivotally connected in side-by-side relationship at their one ends to said pendular supply means, each of said bars having a lateral projection, the respective projections being arranged in longitudinally staggered relationship, said centering arm means includes a pair of opposed angled levers each pivotally mounted on spaced parallel axes, one end of each of said angled levers being connected together for engagement with said first cam means, the other ends of the angled levers being disposed to engage with the respective opposite sides of a respective one of said lateral projections when a selected bar means is shifted to said active position.

4. In a weft thread selecting device as defined in claim 1, wherein said pendular supply means includes a first wall movable with said supply means provided with a plurality of pairs of aligned slots in spared relationship, each of said weft presenting means includes a pair of pins slidably received in respective pairs of said slots for guiding the presenting means between retracted and extended positions, a second wall spaced from said first wall and fixed with respect thereto, said second wall being provided with a generally T-shaped slideway for operative engagement with a respective one of each of said pairs of pins, all of the respective pins being slidable in the horizontal portion of the T-shaped slot during movement of the pendular supply means, only one of said pins being slidable in the vertical portion of the T-shaped slot during movement of a selected presenting means between retracted and extended positions.

5. In a weft thread selecting device as defined in claim 4, wherein said second cam means includes a pivoted lever, one end of said last named lever being movable in response to actuation of a rotary cam mounted on the rotating element of the weaving machine, said one end of the lever having a projection for engagement with a pin of a weft-presenting means when positionedin alignment with the vertical portion of said T-shaped slot for moving the weft-presenting means between retracted and extended positions.

6. In a weft thread selecting device as defined in claim 5, wherein said projection on said last-named lever extends laterally towards said T-shaped slot, and the free end of said projection is provided with a groove to receive the pin of a weft presenting means. 

